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William ShakespeareA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
William Shakespeare’s play is based on the historical life of Henry V, the facts of which were known in Shakespeare’s lifetime and formed part of accepted knowledge. To maintain authority and credibility, Shakespeare stays broadly true to the historical facts but adapts and alters much of the character and meaning of the detail, a good deal of which he invents for his own artistic purposes. Henry V does not serve as historical evidence for the time it depicts but is a reflection of the political and cultural ideals at the turn of the 16th into the 17th century.
King Henry V (1386-1422) is a pivotal figure in English history, renowned for his military successes. Henry V gained military and political experience during the turbulence of his father’s reign: His father, Henry IV, seized the throne in 1399, leading to a period of instability. Prince Henry demonstrated political acumen and military prowess from an early age, putting down significant uprisings across England and Wales. Henry took on increasing power as his father’s health declined and disagreements between father and son often caused conflict. Like much of the historical framework of the play, the fact of this familial conflict is reflected in Shakespeare’s dramatic depiction, although the dynamic of it is reversed.
By William Shakespeare
All's Well That Ends Well
All's Well That Ends Well
William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
William Shakespeare
As You Like It
As You Like It
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Coriolanus
Coriolanus
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Cymbeline
Cymbeline
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Hamlet
Hamlet
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Henry IV, Part 1
Henry IV, Part 1
William Shakespeare
Henry IV, Part 2
Henry IV, Part 2
William Shakespeare
Henry VIII
Henry VIII
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Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 1
William Shakespeare
Henry VI, Part 3
Henry VI, Part 3
William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
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King John
King John
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King Lear
King Lear
William Shakespeare
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
William Shakespeare
Macbeth
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
Measure For Measure
Measure For Measure
William Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
William Shakespeare
Othello
Othello
William Shakespeare